FN Dish

Cold Peanut-Sesame Noodles — Meatless Monday

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Photo by: Con Poulos

Con Poulos

When it's scorching-hot outside and the temperature in your kitchen is at an equally unbearable temperature, what dishes do you reach for? Fresh greens salads are an easy option, but they can become tired and predictable. For something dressed up yet still simple enough to pull off in a hurry, try chilled pasta salads. Beyond boiling water for the noodles, most recipes require no cooking and can be made with whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand.

Food Network Magazine's Cold Peanut-Sesame Noodles is an Asian-inspired take on traditional pasta salad that delivers what is for many the trifecta of sought-after components in a dish: flavor, texture and ease. Featuring kitchen staples like peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar, the sauce on these noodles is both savory and slightly sweet, and the addition of toasted sesame seeds and peanuts offers a hearty crunch. Don't let the time on this recipe intimidate you; the dish takes just 25 minutes to prepare but needs to chill for an hour, which means that that time is wholly hands-off.

Not just for easy weeknight dinners, these noodles double as a go-to lunch pick as well. Since they're served chilled, you can enjoy this dish straight from the refrigerator and don't have to rely on a microwave to experience it at its best; plus, this big-batch recipe makes enough for six servings, so if you make it for supper one night, you'll likely have leftovers ready to go later.